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Born in 1930 in Nieśwież, then Poland, Michael Kutz endured the harrowing challenges of World War II. With the closure of Jewish institutions in the early 1940s, he was forced to join the youth communist movement. The Nazi invasion in June of 1941 led to a tragic loss for Michael, as the Einsatzgruppen brutally murdered his entire family. Surviving a mass execution in October 1941, Michael sought refuge in a farmer's attic, enduring the harsh winter. At twelve, driven by the determination to reunite with his family, he joined a partisan group, participating in military missions until the war's end. In the aftermath, he discovered he was one of only 12 survivors among 8,000 Jews from his village.
After the war, Michael settled in Montreal as part of the War Orphans Project in 1948. Building a new life, he married in 1984. Despite enduring a painful past, Michael actively volunteered, dedicating time to the Montreal Holocaust Museum and the Knights of Pythias organisation. He often spoke to schoolchildren, preferring non-Jewish schools, as they often did not have any background knowledge of the Holocaust. His contributions were acknowledged with a medal from the Governor General of Canada in 1992.
Pre-war, Michael's life was joyous. In his memoir, If by Miracle, he fondly recounts December festivities—lighting Chanukah candles, playing dreidels, and savouring hot latkes. Amidst wartime horrors, Michael's cherished memories fuel his unwavering dedication to fulfilling his mother's dying wish—to share the atrocities he faced with the world.
Michael as the Grand Chancellor of the Knights of Pythias.
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